Astro-Tip: Stop fearing yourself. Let your feral animal out of the cage and you will find out they are not so dangerous.

What happens when a planet is on your ascendant? It dramatically affects how people perceive you. In the case of Pluto the results are fascinating and sometimes surprising.

Pluto in the first house people are the kind of people who walk into a room- and the air changes. They have a strong presence- both for positive and negative. It is not about how they look but more to do with the way they hold themselves. Pluto is seductive- but also dominating. Pluto holds all the secrets of life and death- it is the key. So imagine a person that represents all these dark secrets in their very being. Pluto rising people are usually not aware they have this type of presence or strong effect on people. They may feel hurt and surprised by the way people sometimes fear them- or worse try and dominate and control them!

Why? It is as if other people feel the power and try to protect against it by being controlling or aggressive towards the Pluto rising person.

When they grow up they learn to either repress or mask their presence or they use it to reach their goals. In my experience, the second option is much healthier. Many amazing artists and performers have this placement- they radiate it and use is as a creative vehicle.

How? Pluto is about transformation, the deep and hidden kind, like that of Scorpio and the 8th house. So they change their look and style every few years- they literally become someone else. If they are more spiritually evolved they would change and shed their personality and not only their look and style. Some Pluto rising people fall into the trap of plastic surgery and obsession with how they look. A happy Pluto rising person is capable of transforming themselves for the better instead- they work on their character and spiritual growth. They can then influence in their environment- changing it for the better.

My tip for them is to stop trying to control and hide who they are- instead use it for the better. Be creative, live dangerously and change society. For example they can live dangerously only to help others- many medical professionals have this placement. They can use their ability to change to be great actors- turning into their very character with ease. A great example is Meryl Streep who is known for transforming herself deeply before each role. Or Charlize Theron who changed her appearance dramatically for “Monster” (2003). The roles both actresses choose reflect Pluto perfectly- dealing with death, sexual trauma, pain and the past.

Some male examples known to do the same that have Pluto rising are Joaquin Pheonix who plays characters in conflict or dealing with mental and emotional issues. In the movie “The master” ( 2012) he plays a troubled boozy drifter who joins a cult. And who can forget Stephen King? the author known for his horror and supernatural stories who is also mysterious in real life. He also transformed himself greatly from a heavy drug use to a completely sober and successful author.

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.- Winston Churchill

I was debating writing about this Moon- it is one of the more demanding but then I thought how demanding it must be for those born with it- and decided to stop complaining.

So what is the Moon like in Virgo? Well the Moon is our mental and emotional inner image, it is how we react to things we care about. And what do we care about? When we are little we care about being loved, home, family and when we grow up this translates into our adult relationships.

Traditionally Virgo is very rational, analytical, detail oriented, but don’t forget it is also an Earth sign and one of the more sensual ones at that. Virgo thinks but it also feels through its practical endeavors. What makes the Virgo feel good is being able to get to the bottom of things, to know how they work, it digs in and then breaks the picture into little puzzle pieces- the emotional world of the Virgo, like the Taurus Moon needs stability, but of a different kind. The Virgo Moon needs to know everything is in place, all its thoughts and emotions neatly ordered within. This is all good, but emotions are not very neat and orderly things and so the Virgo Moon is in a flux about itself. As a result Virgo Moon people are very self-critical, they are never perfect enough, good enough. They ask the impossible from their own hearts- to stay in place and play by the rules. But hearts don’t do that do they? Behind the deep thoughts and knowledge of every Virgo Moon is a truly vulnerable person. We all are vulnerable but the Virgo moon is so because in childhood dealing with their inner world became a difficult task. Instead many Virgo Moon kids found themselves doing things: competing and winning medals, dancing, cooking and even working. The Virgo Moon is always busy- and it likes to be. Most Virgo Moon’s you will meet have a mountain of knowledge inside their heads which they take for granted. They are the learners, the smart ones. The Moon does symbolize the mother and so the mother figure or any important feminine figure in their lives was probably very pushy- pushing them to do more, be more instead of just being. Maybe the mother was a teacher or even worse a mother who never got a professional outlet and bestowed that on their kid.

Every Moon has a task to deal with- the Virgo Moon needs to let go of that teacher in their heads and of all that noise. That is the issue, the constant noise of the mind. As they grow up, the Virgo Moon’s learn to find a healthy outlet for that cluttered mind- usually in a professional frame. They make great researchers, writers and therapists. Some just sit and meditate all day or in bad cases escape into drugs- self-criticism is a problem. Virgo is ruled by Mercury- so one thing Moon in Virgo can develop is emotional intelligence. They learn and use what they learn to be emotionally smart. Another good aspect of the Virgo Moon is its ability to think things over; they would not jump into stupid impulsive conclusions about anything. They are usually soft spoken and clever people and loyal friends. Virgo also rules health- so emotional health may be something they care and know much about. I also noticed Virgo Moons can be good speakers, especially if they are teaching you about something- which they will. Sometimes, the Virgo Moon gets so warped up in analyzing things, it misses the whole point. So they need friends who can tell them they need to just let go, and enjoy. The Virgo Moon is sensual remember? So if given a chance they know how to have a good earthy fun- but only as long as it falls into their own set of rules. The rules are completely subjective, so you wouldn’t know what they are. One Virgo Moon I knew, would work all day, chattering and gossiping in between- he was a clean cut guy, the kind that never drinked or smoked in his life. But one day during a University lecture lunch he got very drunk, seemed to have a good time. Later I learned he did it only because it was University related – part of the rules. So don’t be surprised to meet a very wild Virgo Moon- behind that they are thinking things over, I promise you.

The Virgo Moon does have some trouble in love. They know what they want and don’t want- which is great. But sometimes the standards can seem completely irrational to other people. Like a girl I knew who would only date a guy who never wears shorts. A good partner for this Moon would be someone like a Pisces- who is more emotional and dreamy. Preferably with some small issue that the Virgo Moon can fix, but no big issues pleas- the Virgo Moon has way too many things keeping them busy and a messed up partner isn’t helpful. I also see this Moon finds it easier in charts of Fire signs and harder with more earth signs in the chart. The Virgo Moon should develop a sense of spiritual place in the world, and try and see how they can make their dreams a practical reality- they are amazing at that. They should cultivate their natural emotional intelligence, which is a great gift and remember to have a little thought free fun.